November 2014

Pixar Visits SJSU A/I

Photo by Elizabeth Chee

In November, Pixar recruiters Ryan Howe, Kim Diaz, and Tricia Andres came to the A/I
program to review student portfolios and conduct interviews. They also gave a presentation
company culture and internship opportunities. They answered many of the students’
questions, giving advice on how to present an animation reel and what not to do when
applying for an internship.

SJSU Takes Top Honors at CSU Media Arts Festival

Photo courtesy of Megan Hart

November 8 - San Jose State students from the Animation/Illustration program were
awarded First Place in Animation for the third year in a row at the CSU Media Arts
Festival Rosebud Awards Ceremony. Directed by recent A/I grads Megan Hart and Megan
Lawton, “End of the Vine” is an animated short about the future of technology. It
was part of a series of short films sponsored by Adobe that advanced Animation/Illustration
students participated in their senior year.

“I thought [the festival] was a really exciting experience, reuniting with my team
and representing SJSU and our film which we worked so hard on,” Megan Hart said. “It
was cool to meet the other finalists, and see the work that was being produced at
so many other schools.”

Hosted this year by CSU Los Angeles, the CSU Media Arts Festival showcases work submitted
by students from all 23 California State University campuses. San Jose State University
did well overall, with students from the Television/Radio/Film/Theater department
sweeping the Feature Screenplay category. Congratulations to the winners!

BEHIND MY BEHIND Pulls in Front at Animation Festivals

Photo courtesy of David Chai

Congratulations to A/I program coordinator Dave Chai and the crew of “Behind My Behind”
for winning first place at two animation film festivals this November!

The short film won Best 2D Computer Animation at the World Animation Celebration on
November 1. The festival is a one day event featuring animated films from over 40
countries, held at Animation Liberation Studios in Los Angeles.

At the San Diego Asian Film Festival, “Behind My Behind” won Best Animated Short Film.
Organized by the Pacific Arts Movement, the SDAFF is a ten-day film festival (November
6 -15) celebrating Asian American and international cinema. It is the largest exhibition
of Asian cinema in the western United States. Also featured at this festival was A/I
alum and professor Dave Yee’s short film, “Jimmy Loves Juice.” Students joined Dave
and Dave in San Diego for a screening of their films and the awards ceremony. “Behind
My Behind” is the 10th SJSU A/I film to be screened at the SDAFF and second best animation
award.

The Illustrator and the Hero:Inventing a Mythology in Pictures

Photo courtesy of David Chai

November 6 - Animation/Illustration program founder and professor Alice Carter spoke
at the Haggin museum in Stockton. Her talk, given in conjunction with the Alex Ross
exhibit now on display at the museum, explored the connection of Alex Ross to illustrators
who influenced him, such as J.C. Leyendecker and Norman Rockwell. She also tied the
modern obsession with the Superhero to more ancient myths. A group of students and
faculty from the A/I program made the trek out to Stockton to hear her speak.

“Hearing talks given by Bunny are always inspiring,” A/I student Amit Kumar said.
“Superheroes are a huge part of American culture, so seeing the connection they have
to mythology was interesting. This was a great learning experience.”

October 2014

Sony PlayStation Visits SJSU A/I

Photo by Karolyn Moses

In October, SJSU A/I welcomed visitors from Sony PlayStation. Shrunkenhead alum Jeff
Sangalli and recent grads Lucie and Rebecca Roberts, along with Anita Stokes and Teddy
Pappas,visited the program to give students a sneak peek of their newest, innovative
games and to present internship opportunities at Sony’s various locations. Jeff, Lucie,
and Rebecca discussed their work on the game Entwined.

“I thought that the PlayStation presentation was a great show of present-day innovation
in harmonizing both art and technology,” A/I student Tim Fangon said.

An A/I Halloween Special: Reel FX and The Book of Life

Photo by Colton Davis

This Halloween A/I students got a special treat: Reel FX Production Manager Cindy
Rangel and Art Director Paul Sullivan visited the A/I program to talk about the studio’s
latest film, The Book of Life. Cindy discussed the various responsibilities of production
management while Paul showed his early concept artwork and discussed the creative
decisions made for the design of the film. Their visit was preceded by a Halloween
costume contest and followed by a screening of the film at Camera 12 with the students.

“The Book of Life was such a fun, beautifully designed film!” A/I student Ariana Barton
said. “It was a joy to hear about the creation of the film firsthand and learn the
meaning behind certain design decisions. It made watching the film even more enjoyable.”

Artist Nathan Fox Guest Lectures at SJSU A/I

Photo by Olivia Asis

For five weeks during September and October, illustrator and comic artist Nathan Fox
coached A/I students in the art of sequential storytelling via live internet sessions.
In this Distance Learning Program (DLP) series, students created 5-10 page limited
color comics based around themes of mystery and discovery, answering the question,
"Who (or what) is Stormy Dorris?" The five-week challenge culminated in an in-person
review of the final pieces. The top three students received prizes for the best comic.

“I learned a lot from Nathan Fox’s 5-week long DLP,” A/I student Sony Tran said. “Storytelling
is an important skill in all of our fields, and I think Nathan’s assignment gave us
a steep challenge in storytelling.”

While visiting SJSU, Nathan also shared the story of his personal journey into art
with A/I students and talked about the MFA Visual Narrative program at the School
of Visual Arts (SVA) in New York, where he teaches. Nathan answered a variety of questions,
gave advice on navigating the freelance illustration world, and encouraged students
to pursue their passions and create work that is personally meaningful.

Fox ADHD Visits SJSU A/I

Photo by Charlie Ly

October 17 - Samantha Iturralde, Jason Wong, and Natalie Young of Fox Animation Domination
High Def (Fox ADHD) dropped by SJSUA/I to give a talk about the studio’s 2-D animation
pipeline. Samantha and Jason, both Shrunkenhead alums, and Young went over the various
production jobs on a show, the tools used for animation, and the process of making
a 2-D production.

"The Fox ADHD presentation was great!” A/I student Ariana Barton said. “Our guests
did an awesome job of explaining how a 2D show is made and gave us a demo for how
they use Flash to animate. It was definitely inspiring hearing how they got into the
industry, and I loved seeing the character turnarounds that Sam did. I hope they visit
again!"

September 2014

JULES JAMMAL SUPERHERO AUCTION

Photo Courtesy of David Chai

September 6 – SJSUAI faculty, students, and alumni gathered at the Student Union Ballroom
to attend an auction benefitting a scholarship in memory of Jules Jammal, a former
student, club president, faculty member, and beloved friend of the San Jose State
University Animation/Illustration program.

There were book signings in the Art Building from 3 - 5:30pm and a wild live auction
of 5 select art pieces in the new Student Union Ballroom from 6 - 9pm. Over $10K was
raised for his scholarship.

100% of the proceeds went towards funding annual scholarships for future SJSU Animation/
Illustration students who embody the work ethic and character that Jules demonstrated
within the program.

The auction had artwork featuring a wide range of superheroes, ranging from classic
favorites such as Batman, Spiderman, and Wonder Woman, to more obscure selections
including the Tick, Powerpuff Girls, and Super Grover. There was a hero for every
taste.

SJSUA/I Goes to Ottawa

Seventeen SJSUA/I students journeyed to Canada for a week in September to attend the
2014 Ottawa Animation Festival. There, they screened the latest animated short films
from around the world and explored Canada’s capital city.

"It was so inspiring to see a variety of creative and experimental films, and it was
great to be able to meet and chat with many of the filmmakers in a casual setting.
There were many panels where the directors described how the films were made from
start to finish,” A/I student Maaike Scherff said. “Also, the shawarma there is phenomenal.”

Nickelodeon Presentation

Photo by Olivia Asis

Nickelodeon paid a visit to the A/I program this September. Former Shrukenheadman
Jeffry Mazon, now a painter at Nickelodeon, joined other Nickelodeon employees Jermaine
Jose (painter), Mayumi Nose (character design), and Jonathan Soto (rigger) to give
a presentation on how a CG animated TV show is run. The crew discussed the pipeline
process for bringing their show "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" from concept to screen.
They also shared their individual stories of how they got into the TV animation industry
and advised students on how to work well in a professional environment.

"The Nickelodeon lecture was just good old-fashioned honesty!” A/I student Frank Sean
Davis said. “The Nick artists had a fresh perspective on their experience working
in the industry and how they broke their way in. It was incredibly helpful since they
all were fairly recently employed as professionals.”

16th Annual Animation Show of Shows

Photo by Rachel Roubicek

SJSUA/I was once again proud to host Ron Diamond and his Annual Animation Show of
Shows this month. The Acme Filmworks founder presented his selection of the year’s
best animated short films from around the world. There were eleven short films, including
Disney's new short "Feast," Pixar's "Lava," and "Me and My Moulton," by Academy Award
winner Torill Kove.

"Each film from the show pushes the boundaries of all that is conventional; whether
it be the constraints of digital technology, traditional media, ethics, or storytelling
modes,” A/I student Bess Eng said. “There is always a film that makes me wonder ‘how’d
they do that?’ Show of Shows is an event I look forward to every year.”

Photo courtesy of Green Ninja project

Congratulations to A/I Program Coordinator David Chai and the Green Ninja team for
receiving the 2014 STEM Innovator Award! The national award, given by the Silicon
Valley Education Foundation, recognizes pioneering programs that have demonstrated
innovative methods in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education.
The Green Ninja is one of four projects to receive the award.

A collaborative effort among SJSU faculty, staff, and students, the Green Ninja project
uses a collection of humorous live-action and animated films to raise awareness of
the earth’s changing climate and inspire personal action to reduce greenhouse-gas
emissions. The $5,000 prize from the Innovator award will go toward funding the show’s
second season.

SJSU faculty and staff involved with the project include Eugene Cordero ( Department
of Meteorology and Climate Science), David Chai (Animation/Illustration), Babak Sarrafan
(Department of Television, Radio, Film, and Theatre), and Barnaby Dallas and Nick
Martinez (Spartan Film Studios). Most of the webisodes and content were created by
SJSU students with input and guidance from the faculty.

“I love working on the Green Ninja Show. Being able to use my skills in animation
and filmmaking to help educate, as well as to entertain, is a great feeling,” Chai
said. “I know I’ve learned a lot about protecting the environment while having a good
time, and I wasn’t even trying. I guess it really works!”

Thus far the project has worked with more than 100 teachers and 2,000 students. Green
Ninja Show episodes have had more than a million views on YouTube and TeacherTube.

Illustrator David Klein Visits SJSU A/I

Photo by Charlotte Chen

September 25th - Illustrator David Klein gave a presentation to A/I students detailing
his artistic process and thirty-year career. Klein’s work has been featured in The
New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Scholastic, Weavings, Washington Post, Marvel and DC
comics, BusinessWeek, and Random House.

“I met David Klein thirteen years ago,” A/I professor Inga Poslitur said. “Since he
was visiting the West Coast, I asked him to come and speak to my class. We had a room
full of students and a spillover room filled with Animation students watching David’s
presentation via Google Hangout.”

Klein showed examples of his editorial illustrations, scratchboard illustrations and
discussed his transition from illustrating for newspapers and magazines to storyboarding
for advertising agencies. He advised the students to always keep a sketchbook, draw
from observation, and work on their own personal projects.

July 2014

A/I Student Selected as a Finalist in Zankel Scholarship Competition

This summer, SJSUAI student Taylor Lambert visited the headquarters of The Society
of Illustrators in New York as a finalist for the Zankel Scholarship competition.

Offered by the Society of Illustrators, the Zankel scholarship awards a junior student
significant financial support for his or her senior year. Other finalists this year
were Xanthe Bouma of the Maryland Institute College of Art and Brenna Thummler of
Ringling College of Art and Design.

Though Lambert didn't win the scholarship, he enjoyed the trip out to New York:

"Though I wasn't selected as the Zankel Scholar, the experience was an absolutely
positive one," he said. "I was flown out to New York and treated to an amazing dinner
hosted by the Society of Illustrators, where I had the pleasure of meeting several
incredible artists. Everyone at the Society was fantastic; they were all super friendly,
encouraging, and supportive. "

July 2014

SHM Alum gets “Tested” by Mythbuster

SHM alum Marty Cooper appeared on Adam Savage’s “Tested”, a YouTube channel where
Savage (from the show “Mythbusters”) and other hosts do short segments on cool stuff
that interests them. Marty is gaining recognition for his imaginative drawings and
animations of cartoon characters interacting with a physical environment. In the “Tested”
episode, Marty explained how he draws his animations on location, and created an animated
clip right in Savage’s workshop. To make his animations, Marty draws on acetate, overlays
it on the environment around him, and takes a photo with his iPhone. With his economical
setup, Marty can animate everywhere and anywhere.

To see Marty Cooper on “Tested”, visit here. To see more of Marty’s animation, visit here.

May 2014

Working Parts: SJSU Animation/Illustration BFA Senior Show 2014

We will have an opening reception next Friday, May 2nd, from 7:00PM for South First Fridays Art Walk. Stop by for some good company and a night of artistic
inspiration!

The gallery is located at:Works/San Jose365 South Market StreetDowntown San Jose, 95113nearby the McEnery Convention Center

The gallery will be on exhibit from May 2 through May 24, 2014. Works/San Jose is open to the public on the following days and hours:

Thursdays, noon to 4PMFridays, noon to 6PMSaturdays, noon to 4PM

We hope to see you there!

Saturday, April 26, 2014

D-DAY

Just another Saturday in April for many, but for the A/I program it was D-Day. University
Theater was filled with A/I students at the biggest A/I event of the year, cheering
wildly and laughing crazily. An annual tradition, D-Day is organized by the Shrunkenheadman
Club. This year it was hosted by alums Colin and Annie Fix. Colin Fix founded D-Day
as a student in the A/I program.

At this D-Day, there were dancing Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers throwing candy at
the audience, cultural references galore, Shakespearean hip hop, draw-offs to settle
disputes, explosions, dancing, strong words, Jaegers, frantically whistling emcees,
nightmarish rigs, Californians obsessed with directions, and the passing of the torch
to a new generation of harbingers of crazy fun.

To really understand it you have to be there. Good thing there’s always next year.

Friday, April 25, 2014

A/I Represents at SJSU Honors Convocation

Photo by Shih Hao Tseng

Led by A/I lecturer Jeff Jackson, a group of A/I students walked to the Event Center
to cheer on their fellow Shrunkenheads who were being honored at the SJSU Honors Convocation.
118 students from the program made either President’s or Dean’s Scholar, with A/I
student Nicolle Castro walking the stage as a President’s Scholar. Afterwards family
and friends gathered in the art quad to take photos.

President’s Scholars are those undergraduate students who have earned a 4.0 grade
point average at San José State University in at least two contiguous semesters of
the three semesters prior to the Honors Convocation.

Dean’s Scholars are those undergraduate students who have earned a 3.65 or higher
grade point average at San José State University in at least two contiguous semesters
of the three semesters prior to the Honors Convocation.

Congratulations to the honorees!

Friday, April 25, 2014

Nintendo Gallery

Photo by Grace Chen

Shrunkenheadman students and faculty attended the opening reception of the Nintendo
Gallery at Umpqua Bank.

Inspired by the 2013 Rare Candy: Pokémon Charity Gallery, the San Jose State University
ShrunkenHeadMan Club's Charity Committee arranged Press Start: Nintendo Charity Gallery.
On display until May 16, the gallery features characters from a variety of Nintendo
games, such as The Legend of Zelda, Earthbound, Animal Crossing, Mario, and many more.

All of the artists are from San Jose State University's Animation/Illustration program.
Interested students and alumni were assigned a random character from their favorite
Nintendo game. Artists were given complete artistic freedom on their piece, and came
up with a variety of styles for the popular games.

Proceeds from the gallery auction will go to the Morgan Autism Center, an organization
devoted to helping autistic individuals.

April 2014

Admitted Spartans Day

Photo by Ting Yu Chen

The Animation/Illustration program welcomed potential freshman and junior transfers
to San Jose State on Admitted Spartans Day, Saturday, April 12. The university-wide
open house allows accepted students and their parents to visit the campus and see
various departments. In the Art building, the A/I program opened its classrooms and
computer labs so prospective students and their parents could tour the facilities,
see examples of student work and ask questions of faculty and current students working
on campus that day.

A/I faculty gave presentations explaining the philosophy of the program and answered
scheduling questions. During the presentations, graduating seniors shared their experiences
and advised the incoming class to take advantage of the strong community that the
students here have fostered. The many Shrunkenheads who volunteered their time on
a Saturday to participate in Admitted Spartans Day exemplified that spirit.

Special thanks to the A/I students who helped out with the event!

April 11, 2014

Wushu Figure Drawing

Photo by Youri Dekker

The Shrunkenheadman Club(SHM) held a special afternoon figure drawing session in coordination
with the SJSU Wushu Club. Members of the Wushu Club performed their moves out in
the Art Quad, holding poses from 30 seconds to 2 minutes, while Shrunkenheads drew
them. Around 40 -50 SHMers attended.

According to SHM Model Coordinator Rachel Roubicek, this collaboration began 2 years
ago and has been ongoing every spring semester since.

April 11, 2014Dreamworks Visits SJSUAI

Photo by Olivia Asis

On Friday, April 11, DreamWorks University Relations Manager Tiffany Feeney spent
the day at SJSU, reviewing portfolios, interviewing students, and giving a great presentation
detailing the DreamWorks production process.

Dreamworks, the studio behind films such as How to Train your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, and most recently Mr. Peabody and Sherman, has worked with the SJSU Animation/Illustration program over the years to provide
learning opportunities for A/I students. In addition to sending recruiters, Dreamworks
has provided guest lecturers and helped set up Dreamcrits, distance learning sessions
where A/I students have the chance to have their work reviewed by professionals.

April 2014

Dreamworks Supervising Animator Cassidy Curtis Speaks at SJSU

Photo by Ting-Yu Chen

The latest in a lineup of incredible guest speakers to visit SJSU this semester, Dreamworks
animator Cassidy Curtis gave a talk to the Animation/Illustration program on Friday,
April 4. WSQ 109 was packed with students eager to learn what the industry veteran
had to say about the animator as designer.

Curtis emphasized the importance of fundamental artistic principles in the newer medium
of computer animation, sharing clips of his work on films such as Madagascar and How to Train Your Dragon. To the amazement of the audience, he revealed a shot of Alex the lion fromMadagascar that was the 3-D equivalent of a smear frame.

Curtis examined how current technology and approaches to 3-D animation are heavily
influenced by traditional principles of 2-D animation and design. Studios try to
push the technology to better capture the character, appeal, and shape language found
in the concept art drawings made for the films. Curtis encouraged the audience to
push the limitations of computer animation.

March 2014

A/I visits London

Photo courtesy of David Chai

From March 12 to March 21, SJSUAI students traveled to London, England for a whirlwind
tour of studios and sights. Eleven students and three faculty visited animation/visual
effects studios such as Double Negative (Harry Potterseries), Prime Focus World Studios (Gravity), Aardman Animations (Wallace and Gromit), and Nexus Productions (shorts and commercials). Students got an inside look at
the kind of work the studios do and how they operate.

“Aardman Animation was the final studio tour and for me, it was the most enlightening
experience because the studio showed us process reels as well as videos that were
behind the scenes. We got to see making of's as well as original stop motion rigs
and sets for productions like Wallace & Gromit and Morph,” said A/I student Rachel
Roubicek.

The days were also action-packed with history and culture at places such as the National
Gallery, the Victoria and Albert museum, and the Tate Modern. Highlights also included
a visit to King’s Cross Station and Platform 9 ¾ from the Harry Potter series.

Roubicek had this to say about the overall experience: “The trip was incredible and
with Bunny and Courtney giving insightful and worthwhile information every day about
the places we saw, it was something special. Seeing the city celebrate St. Patrick's
day was fun and exciting as well as seeing the musical Once was amazing and dare I say it, a once in a lifetime experience. I can't thank Bunny,
Courtney and Dave enough for letting me go on the trip and having such a fun adventure
along the way.”

March 2014

SJSUAI Hosts Spectrum Judging

Photo by Grace Chen

SJSUAI was proud to host the judging for the annual Spectrum competition on March
1st. Spectrum is an annual competition showcasing the best of contemporary fantasy and
science-fiction art. The judges this year were children’s book illustrator Cory Godbey,
concept artist J. Anthony Kosar, painter/photographer George Pratt, concept artist
Shelly Wan, and painting/concept artist/illustrator Allen Williams.

Shrunkenheadman volunteers helped facilitate the judging, organizing and laying out
submissions for the judges.

February 2014

Optics for Artists Gallery Show

Photo by Grace Chen

There was a great turnout for the Optics for Artists Gallery Show in February. Celebrating
the successful interdisciplinary collaboration between the faculty and students of
the Physics department and Animation/Illustration program, the show marked the wrap
of the Optics research grant and launched the Optics for Artists Handbook.

The book is a culmination of the research done by the Optics research group. The NSF-sponsored
project sought to develop innovative STEM curriculum that would make the physics of
light accessible to artists. Professors from both Physics and A/I participated in
the grant. Principal investigators were Physics professors Peter Beyersdorf and Alejandro
Garcia, and A/I professors John Clapp and Raquel Coelho. Graduate student Angela
Wu assisted the investigators and produced the book. This grant brought $200,000 to
SJSU, in addition to many incredible lecturers and events for A/I students.

Thanks to all who came out and shared in the celebration!

Free pdfs of the book are available here. Printed books are available at cost here.

February 2014Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 Director Speaks at SJSU

Photo by TingYu Chen

Director Kris Pearn gave an amazing storyboarding lecture and pitched many of his
sequences from his various films to Animation/Illustration students this February
in Morris Dailey Auditorium. Pearn directed Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 and storyboarded Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Pearn demonstrated his storyboarding technique as students listened to his animated
and entertaining pitches. He also talked about his experiences as a first-time director
and career in the industry. A/I students not only learned about storyboarding, but
received career advice as well.

“I learned that to be a good artist there is no magic bullet. You have to take on
hard jobs head on, you have to have confidence and just do it even though you don't
know how. Always practice and ask the people around you for their crits. Your personality
is really important too in the job force,” A/I student Dustin Meyer said.

February 2014Hallmark and Blue Sky Recruiters Visit SJSUAI

Photo by TingYu Chen

SJSUAI welcomed Hallmark and Blue Sky recruiters to the campus this February. SJSU
A/I Grads Adan Chung and Ramon Olivera, now working at Hallmark, came home to visit.
The grads conducted portfolio reviews, interviewed students for internships, and presented
a company overview.

Blue Sky, the film studio that made Ice Age, also sent recruiters to SJSU in February. Deb Stone (Manager, Talent Development)
& Michael Daley (Story Artist) conducted portfolio reviews and interviews, informed
students of internships, and gave a storyboarding lecture.

Hosting recruiters is a key part of the A/I program at SJSU, providing students an
opportunity to learn about different companies and the job/internships they offer.

January 31, 2014

How Illustrators Invented America: A special presentation by Alice Carter

Photo by Grace Chen

In January, A/I professor and co-founder Alice “Bunny” Carter presented a special
talk on the history of American illustration to the Animation/Illustration program.
Generously sharing her insight and knowledge, Carter discussed how illustrators have
shaped perceptions of America, both at home and abroad, throughout the nation’s history.
From the myth of the noble savage to the myth of the common man, from Uncle Sam to
the Arrow Collar man and the Gibson Girl, illustrators created stories and images
in their artwork that captured people’s imaginations and influenced their beliefs—ideas
and images which still persist today.

Students and alums alike attended the event, filling Morris Dailey Auditorium on a Friday night. "It's
the 4th time I have attended this lecture and I always learn something new,” A/I student
Samia Khalaf said. “I think it's priceless information that needs to be turned into
a book for future generations.”

January 2014

Pew pew! Shrunkenheads Game It Up

Photo courtesy of Tamara Chang

Who says you have to graduate before pursuing your interests? Sharing a passion for
game development, Animation/Illustration students Tamara Chang, Pauline Pham, and
Matthew White, along with other SJSU students, formed their own game development group
and started making video games.

Calling themselves Pew Pew Studios (after their first game), the students are part
of the GameDev Club and have already completed several games, including Pew Pew, Vivera, Murphy's
Diamond, and Immunity. Many of their games feature innovative concepts and approaches
to gaming. In the game Immunity, the player is the immune system of a sickly body
and controls white blood cells with his or her own brainwaves, via a NeuroSky headset.

Last semester Pew Pew Studios won $2500 at the Silicon Valley Innovation Challenge
for their work and was offered a 4-month long mentorship with SpartUps , an accelerator
program for early stage startups.

"I have learned so much through helping to develop and being an artist for Pew Pew
Studios. Working in a team with so many people with different types of skills and
majors to create video games is exciting and inspiring. It motivates me to work harder
in my animation classes because I want to use new skills I learn in class to improve
Pew Pew Studios," group member Tamara Chang said.

The GameDev Club meets Thursdays at 7:15pm, room 241 in the Art Building.

November 2013

SJSUAI students win at CSU Media Arts Festival

Photo courtesy of Hillary Bradfield

Animation/Illustration students took top honors at this year’s CSU Media Arts Festival.
Hillary Bradfield’s animated short “Edith and the Bear” placed first in Animation
and took Best in Show, while Christy Becker’s screenplay, Coyote Children, placed second in the Feature Screenplay category.

Bradfield expressed thanks to her crew: “I'd really like to say a thank you to our
film crew. It was an incredible honor to win Best in Show and Best in Animation at
CSU Media Arts. There were so many inspiring projects shown in the festival. Big thanks
to the Edith and the Bear crew. They were the best crew to work with. I have so many
people to thank for this film--my professors at SJSU, and the mentors that helped
me outside of school from Nickelodeon and Dreamworks. It took an army to make this
film.”

The RTVF department also did well at the festival, garnering wins in the Feature Screenplay,
Short Screenplay and Music Video categories.

According to the CSU Summer Arts website, the Media Arts Festival was established
“in 1991 to give talented students studying film, video, and interactive media within
the 23-campus California State University system an opportunity to present their work
for critical review. Distinguished CSU professors and industry leaders choose the
student finalists and winners in the film, video, and interactive media competition,
and all finalist works are screened during the Festival. Cash prizes and the prestigious
Rosebud Award are awarded to the winning student entries.”

November 15, 2013

PUNCH DRUNK MOUSTACHE EVENT

Photo by Ting Yu Chen

In November, industry artists Amy Beth Christenson, Chris Voy, John-Paul Balmet, Sean Pando and
Will Nichols presented their book Punch Drunk Moustache. The book, which also includes
work from three other industry artists, showcases their off-the-clock visual development,
concepts and art. All eight artists involved with the book have collectively worked
for companies such as Lucasfilm Animation, LucasArts, Pixar, Capcom, Squaresoftand Electronic
Arts; two are SJSU alums - J.P.Balmet and Jeff Sangalli.

The artists at the event gave insightful stories on their transition from students
to professionals.

"Our guest speakers really encouraged me to pour my heart into my personal projects.
If I do that, then others can see that this is what I am passionate about, and it
is something I am willing to invest my time into," said A/I student Jessica Tong.

Phillip Yoon echoed the sentiment. “I learned that personal work was a far more compelling
component to one’s portfolio. From the speakers' testimonies, their personal work
was the big draw for recruiters looking for employees. And you just have to be the
best in the world,” he said.

The artists who came stayed long after the presentation, signing books for long lines
of appreciative A/I students.

November 8, 2013

NICKELODEON, SONY PLAYSTATION, AND PIXAR VISIT SJSUAI

Photos by Shih-Hao Tseng

November has been a busy month for hosting industry guests. Recruiters from Nickelodeon
returned to SJSUAI on November 6, while SonyPlaystation visited the program for the first time on November 8. They informed students of internship and full-time employment opportunities and described
what life was like at the studios. Such visits give students a valuable glimpse into
each company and industry expectations.

November 3, 2013

AI Alumni Host Special Screening of Free Birds

Photo courtesy of David Chai

Returning SJSUAI alumni treated a packed theater of SHMers to a special opening weekend
screening of their new film release, Free Birds. Reel FX Creative Studios Head of Story, Jeff Biancalana, along with story artists Josh
Zinman, Marty Cooper and Taylor Hsieh, hosted a behind-the-scenes look on the making
of the film and stayed late into the evening answering questions after the showing.

“The presentation was amazing. It was so inspiring to see how the storyboards translated
to the film,” said Animation/Illustration student Da-Hee Im.

November 1, 2013

STEVE HICKNER VISITS SJSUAI

Photo by Shih-Hao Tseng

SJSUAI welcomed entertainment industry veteran Steve Hickner to SJSU this November.
Hickner, who has worked as director, producer, and story artist for films such as Bee Movie, Prince of Egypt and Who Framed Roger Rabbit, gave an all-day talk to Animation/Illustration students. Hickner’s all-day lecture
was divided into two parts. The first half focused on the use of cuts and close-ups
in films and the second half discussed his book, Animating Your Career, a guide to navigating the journey of a career in the creative fields—from getting
a foot in the door to directing a project involving hundreds of artistic professionals.
The book is filled with practical advice from Hickner and many of the top creatives
he has worked with over the years.

Hickner has spoken at SJSU several times before, generously sharing his invaluable
insight and advice on film-making and storytelling.

October 2013

SJSU Animation/Illustration Invades Canada

Trekking all the way to the Great White North, Animation/Illustration (A/I) instructors
David Chai and David Yee led a group of 16 students and 2 alumni to the Ottawa International
Animation Festival (OIAF), from 9/19 – 9/23. Funded in part by donations raised at
monthly student-run film screenings, the group managed to watch 75 short and 3 feature-length
animated films, and attend numerous artist presentations over the short three day
visit. The group also had the opportunity to meet with students, industry professionals,
and film makers from around the world at the daily social events. Professor Chai points
out “The OIAF is the oldest and best attended animation festival in North America,
and is a highlight of the year for many of our students.” Kayla Rymes confirms this
notion, “Man, this was one of the best times of my life. Couldn't have asked for a
better group of friends to spend this weekend with. To Ottawa!”

October 2013

SJSU Animation/Illustration students take on the 24 Hours Animation Challenge

SJSU Animation/Illustration (A/I) students fired it up all night long for the 24 Hours
Animation Contest, a nationwide competition to create 30-second animated films about
a specified theme in 24 hours. More than 70 students from A/I program competed against
ten other schools, with two teams from San Jose winning second and fourth place in
the competition.

The theme, “What would you do if you only had 24 hours left to live?” was given to
the competitors on Friday, September 27 at 5:30pm. The teams of five had until Saturday,
September 28 at 5:30pm to conceptualize and complete a 30-second film. Submissions
were judged by a panel of industry professionals from studios such as Laika, Pixar,
and Yellowshed.

The SJSU AI film, “The Caveman Capsule”, won second place. Team members were Nicki
Yee, Grace Lacuesta, Youri Dekker, Ryan Eways, and Ryan Ramirez. They were awarded
1-year licenses for DIGICEL Flipbook Pro, TOONBOOM Storyboard Pro and Animate Pro.
The film can be viewed here.

Another SJSUAI film, “The Cookie of Doom”, won fourth place. Team members were Alvin
Concepcion, Clayton Chan, Oscar Guevara, Amanda Sharpe, and Hunter Welker. They received
Stuart Ng gift certificates and TOONBOOM Storyboard Pro and Animate Pro (1 year license).
The film can be viewed here.

In all 47 films were completed. The schools which participated in the challenge were
CSUN, MTSU, Kendall, Westwood, Mt San Antonio Community College, Academy of Art San
Francisco, Woodbury University, South Dakota State University, Ringling College of
Art and Design, and Jarupa Valley High School. Sponsors for the event were Creative
Talent Network (CTN), Toon Boom, Digicel, ASIFA-Hollywood, DreamWorks and Stuart Ng
Books.

October 2013

Dreamworks partners one more time with the Animation/Illustration program

DreamWorks Animation has partnered with the Animation/Illustration program for one
more year of the very successful DreamCrits program.

Organized by DreamWorks’ amazing outreach department and hosted by the company in
its studio headquarters, DreamCrits is a bi-monthly event in which SJSU Animation/Illustration
(A/I) students have an extended critique session with Dreamworks artists. Through
this unique exchange A/I students have the benefits of receiving very detailed feedback
on their art pieces, and they get to spend time discussing their art work with some
of the most sought-after professionals in the field.

Over the years, the relationship of the studio with the Animation/Illustration program
has expanded to include dedicated internship opportunities, student gallery shows
at the DW studio, and DreamWorks artists teaching at the CSU Summer Arts program.
Since the inception of the DreamCrit program in 2010, over 500 CSU students have participated,
and Animation/Illustration students have been a constant presence. The A/I program
is thrilled to start one more round of the Dreamcrits program, and can't wait for
the amazing sessions with DreamWorks artists.

September 2013

SJSU Animators Help Promote Childhood Cancer Awareness Month

This summer, five SJSU Animation/Illustration (A/I) students worked overtime preparing
a 30-second commercial to bring awareness to Childhood Cancer Awareness Month; observed
in September. Professor David Chai was approached by a fellow SJSU alum about producing
animation for ‘Brandon’s Goal Foundation’, a charitable organization that raises money
and awareness to help end childhood cancer. The commercial would tell the story of Brandon
Brauns, a brave young boy, after whom the foundation is named.

Chai was excited about the prospect, “Our students have been heavily involved with
charitable fundraising for years, but this was the first opportunity we’ve had to
use animation in this way.”

The student animation team was excited as well. “There was so much we wanted to tell
about this important story, but the challenge was fitting it all into 30 seconds”
says graduating senior, Wendell Dalit. Along with his team mates Youri Dekker, Aldo
Kcomt, Kevin Lam, Catharina Sukiman and Music student Josh Zamora, the group worked
feverishly through August to meet the September deadline.

Although the team had to endure many sleepless nights to produce the spot, Dalit found
the whole experience to be very rewarding. “The hard work was not an issue at all.
The idea of using my art in a way that can make some sort of difference in peoples’
lives, kept us going all the way through to the end.”

For more information about ‘Brandon’s Goal Foundation’, please click here.

September 2013

Animation Show of Shows Comes to SJSU

The SJSU Animation/Illustration program hosted a special screening of the Animation
Show of Shows at San Jose State University this September. On Wednesday the 25th, Acme Filmworks founder Ron Diamond presented his traveling selection of the year’s
best animated shorts to San Jose State students and their guests. The Show of Shows
featured animation from all over the world, impressing the audience with the great
variety in style and story.

Accompanying Mr. Diamond were several directors of this year’s films, including Edmunds
Jansons of “International Father’s Day”, Yula Aranova of “My Mom is an Airplane!”,
and Jonathan Ng of “Requiem for Romance”. The directors answered questions from
the students after the show.

September 27, 2013

The Art of Bob Peak

SJSU A/I was proud to host Tom Peak for a presentation/lecture about his late father’s
work. Bob Peak was one of a handful of illustrators who defined the visuals of the
late 20th century. His work spanned several fields, including advertising, magazine covers,
and movie posters. He did cover illustrations for Time magazine, TV Guide, and Sports Illustrated, and his innovative design helped develop the look of the modern movie poster. The Art of Bob Peak (a beautiful coffee-table book showcasing Bob Peak’s work) is available at: http://www.bobpeak.com/

August 20th, 2013Dick Blick Donates to SJSU A/I!

Dick Blick Art Materials generously donated forty (40!) new drawing horses to SJSU
A/I for use in the 3rd floor figure drawing room. Thank you Dick Blick! And thank
you to the 32(!) students who showed up on their last day of summer vacation to help
assemble them before the start of classes!

July 31, 2013

Animators Fire it Up at CSU Summer Arts

From July 1 to July 14, San Jose State Animation/Illustration Professor David Chai
took up residence in student housing at CSU Monterey Bay to coordinate an intensive
CSU Summer Arts course; “DreamWorks Animation: Acting and Emotional Expression.” Together
with Rex Grignon, Head of DreamWorks Character Animation and Los Angeles-based actor
Todd Waring, Professor Chai provided a venue for sixteen fortunate students to improve
their understanding of a demanding discipline. The course marked the first Summer
Arts class sponsored by DreamWorks Animation and was an extension of the collaboration
between the CSU and DreamWorks. This valuable partnership is supported by DreamWorks
Outreach as well as the Chancellor’s Entertainment Industry Initiative.

Eight students from San Jose State, three from Chico State, two from CSU Northridge,
one from CSU Fullertonand two more from private institutions persevered through two
weeks of challenging work. Although the course was difficult, the results were significant.
Rex Grignon was impressed. “It’s incredible watching the students plow through these
projects. It doesn’t seem like much doing six seconds of animation, but even at the
professional level, an animator does about three seconds of animation per week. So
they really worked at a professional pace.” San Jose State student, Justin Vu agreed.
“Rex’s approach really accelerated my animation process,” he wrote. “What would normally
take me weeks to get done, I can now finish in days. I’m pretty sure I’ll be using
these techniques for the rest of my life.”

Professor Chai, who was coordinating a Summer Arts course for the first time, was
enthusiastic about both the class and the value of the CSU Summer Arts experience.
“This program not only allowed the students to learn about animation, but also immersed
them into a two-week artistic colony; surrounding them with actors, musicians, stage
combatants, painters, and writers. I’m sure that most of the students have also made
some friends for life. I’d recommend the CSU Summer Arts program to anyone.”

May 20–June 8, 2013

SJSU Animation/Illustration Students are National Finalists for the 40th Annual Student Academy Awards

Couch and Potatoes, a stop-motion, animated short film directed by SJSU Animation/Illustration
students Eunsoo Jeong and Christopher Lam, has been selected to be a National Finalists
for the 40th Annual Student Academy Awards.

The Student Academy Awards is a national student film competition conducted by the
Academy and the Academy Foundation. Each year over 500 college and university film
students from all over the United States compete for awards and cash grants, with
films being judged in four categories: Animation, Documentary, Narrative and Alternative.
Film students from outside the U.S. are honored each year as well. The presentation
ceremony is a popular event that is annually attended by a capacity audience in the
Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

To reach this stage, U.S. students competed in one of three regional competitions.
Each region is permitted to send to the Academy up to three finalists in each of the
four categories.

Through the Student Academy Awards, the Academy recognizes and encourages this country’s
most promising new filmmakers. Past winners include Spike Lee, Trey Parker, Bob Saget
and Oscar winners John Lasseter and Robert Zemeckis.

Final judging by the Academy will be completed by May 20, 2013, and announcement of
the Gold, Silver and Bronze Medal Award winners in each category will be made at the
Student Academy Awards Presentations on June 8, 2013, in Beverly Hills, California.

SJSU Animation/Illustration Program Coordinator, Alice Carter, is ecstatic. “We are
so proud of Eunsoo and Chris and all of the success they have earned from their film.
We are especially gratified to honor a goal we set with DreamWorks Animation in 2008,
when they made a significant donation to our program. At that time, DreamWorks told
us that they would like to have an SJSU Student Academy Award nominee within five
years. Thanks to our dedicated faculty and motivated students, we made it. Sharing
this news with Dreamworks was the icing on the cake.”

May 2013Animation/Illustration Students Hired at Cartoon Network

Animation/Illustration (A/I) graduating seniors Cory Fuller and Lauren Brown have
been hired at Cartoon Network. Fuller will be working as a background designer on
the show Uncle Grandpa and Brown will be a Production Assistant on Ben 10: Omniverse. Both attribute their studies with SJSU’s A/I program to their successes.

Lauren Brown writes, “The Animation/Illustration program at SJSU prepared me for a
job in the Animation industry. The faculty and the A/I program taught me to work hard
and challenged me to go beyond what I thought was possible in terms of my own personal
goals. Without the A/I Faculty's support, I would never be where I am today.”

Cory Fuller adds “The thing about the program that prepared me most for this job was
working on numerous animated short film projects. The majority of my graduation portfolio
consisted of background layouts and designs from summer and student short films. These
projects were perfect training for working on the show. They gave me not only insight
into how to apply my work to the production pipeline, but more importantly they gave
me the opportunity to learn about and get better at something that I love to do. Everyone
at Cartoon Network is just as silly too!”

Fuller stresses most importantly however, “My contract will extend through August,
which is when the show airs. At which point the studio will see if gets picked up
for more seasons. So tell everybody to watch it so I can keep working! ;)”

Congratulations to another two of our great A/I students!

May 2013

Animation/Illustration Student Making Legends

SJSU Animation/Illustration senior, Lauren Zurcher, is helping to make animation legends!
Lauren spent the summer of 2012 interning at Nickelodeon animation in Burbank, CA,
working on The Legend of Korra, and has just accepted a full time offer to work on
the show after graduation! Lauren says, "My education at SJSU prepared me for a dream
job where I continue to learn and grow as an artist." Lauren will be the eleventh
SJSU A/I alumni to be currently working at the studio.

February 15-17, 2013

Two films produced in the Animation/Illustration program at San Jose State have won
awards at the AsiansOnFilm Festival. "Couch & Potatoes" a stop-motion film produced
and directed by May 2012 Graduate Chris Lam & current senior Eunsoo Jeong, was the
winner in the Short Animation category. "A Knock On My Door," Directed by Associate
Professor David Chai and produced by his 2012 Advanced Animation class took Honorable
Mention in the same category.

The Festival, which is sponsored by Asians on Film. com, will run from February 15-17,
2013 at J.E.T. Studios in North Hollywood.

January 5, 2013

Tule Lake – 2 Wins at the Creative Awards

2012 Animation/Illustration graduate Michelle Ikemoto and a production team composed
of her classmates in the 2012 Advanced Animation class won awards for Best Film Under 30 Minutes and Best Student Film for their animated short film, Tule Lake. Tule Lake is a tribute to the Director’s
late grandmother and the risks she took to preserve normalcy for her family during
their exile in the Tule Lake internment camp during World War II. The awards were
sponsored by CreaTV San Jose, a non-profit, public benefit corporation serving the
City of San Jose whose mission is to inspire, educate and connect San Jose communities,
using media to foster civic engagement. The ceremony was held on January 5, 2013 at
San Jose’s historic California Theater.

Previous wins for Tule Lake include 1st Place in the Animation category and a tie for Best In Show in the CSU Media Arts festival in November 2012. To learn more about the film, please
visit http://tulelakeproject.blogspot.com/

January 4, 2013

New York Society of Illustrators Gold Medal

Associate Professor David Chai and his production team consisting of current SJSU
A/I students and alumni won the Gold Medal in the Moving Image Category at the New
York Society of Illustrators 55th Annual Exhibition for their animated short film
"A Knock on My Door.” The film has a two-fold San Jose State connection as it documents
the life of David Chai’s father, Hi Dong Chai, Professor Emeritus, SJSU Electrical
Engineering.

The awards ceremony was held on January 4th in New York City. The Society of Illustrators Annual Exhibition is open to artists
worldwide, and each year a jury of top professionals considers thousands of entries
before selecting the best for inclusion in their exhibition at the Society’s gallery
in New York. Professor Chai’s accomplishment marks the first time that SJSU has received
a Gold Medal at this prestigious venue.

January 2013

Society of Illustrators Los Angeles Gold Medal

Five illustrations by SJSU A/I Lecturer, Inga Poslitur were accepted into the Society
of Illustrators of Los Angeles Illustration West 51 Competition. Her illustration
"Eve Redeemed" received the Gold medal. The Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles
(SILA) was founded in 1953 to promote the professional status of illustration art
as well as to foster both philanthropic and educational projects. From this small
beginning, SILA has grown into a productive membership whose work is seen locally
and nationally by millions in printed media, television, films, the Internet and gallery
exhibitions. Today SILA is firmly established as a major professional art entity on
the West Coast.

October 18–21, 2012

Animation/Illustration Student Film Selected for the 2012 San Jose International Short
Film Festival

"Tule Lake," A short film produced in ANI 118 (Advanced Animation) was just accepted
into the 2012 San Jose International Short Film Festival. May 2012 graduate Michelle
Ikemoto wrote and directed the film, which is based on her grandmother’s experience
in the Tule Lake Relocation Center during World War II. "Tule Lake" tells a story
of perseverance and the strength of family bonds during the Japanese-American internment,"
Ikemoto writes. Other Animation/Illustration students who contributed to Ikemoto's
film include Erin Schleupner, Cody Gramstad, Timothy Tang, Joanna Johnen, Christopher
Lam, Jong Kim, Alan Pasman, Salvatore Criscione, and Ishmael Hoover. The San José
International Short Film Festival runs from October 18 through October 21 at the Cinearts
Theater on Santana Row.

Art by Ishmael Hoover

September 19-23, 2012

Animation/Illustration Film wins Honorable Mention at the Ottawa Animation Festival

Why Do We Put Up With Them, a film directed by Animation/Illustration (A/I) Associate
Professor David Chai, won an Honorable Mention award in the “Short Animation for Children”
category at the Ottawa 2012 International Animation Festival, North America’s longest running
and most prestigious venue for animation art. The film was one of only 97 selected
from the 2376 entries submitted worldwide. In such a competitive venue, it is remarkable
that Professor Chai produced his film on campus during the summer of 2011 with the
help of a team of twenty-two A/I student volunteers.

“The Ottawa Animation Festival is known for being highly selective. This is the first
SJSU film to be accepted since we first began submitting in 1999. So this is a real
honor for us, and another great reflection of the success of our program,” Professor
Chai writes.

Fundraising efforts by the Shrunkenheadman Club made it possible for sixteen A/I students
to accompany Professor David Chai and lecturer David Yee to the festival, which ran
from September 19 through September 23. Because the majority of the films are unavailable
elsewhere, this venue presented a unique opportunity for the students who attended. In
addition to the film screenings, the A/I students met with internationally known animators
and directors, as well as other students from around the world.

August 2012

Animation/Illustration Graduate Joins Pixar Studios

When Yung-han Chang was offered an internship in the story department at Pixar Studios,
he was not sure if he could accept. As an International student, he needed authorization
from the International Program Services office as well as official paperwork for Curricular
Practical Training—a process that usually requires more time than Pixar was prepared
to give him. Fortunately, A/I Internship coordinator Professor Courtney Granner and
Assistant Director of International Students, Louis Gecenok understood the importance
of this opportunity. Yung-han got his paperwork, and with it a chance to work at the
world’s most prestigious animation studio. He made the most of this chance, and at
the end of August when he completed his internship he was offered a position as a
Pixar story artist. “Most top studios demand that their student hires are receiving
faculty-supervised internship credit,” says Professor Granner. “That’s why we are
so happy to offer this opportunity to students like Yung-han whose scholarship and
talent put him among the best in the world.”

August 20, 2012

Animation/Illustration Students Earn Accolades for Short Film

“The Pod” a nine-minute film produced by Animation/Illustration seniors Jaydeep Hasrajani,
Alvyn Villanueva, Carlos Nunez, Michael Harding, Nick Carpenter and Leonard Hung has
recently been accepted into the Burbank International Film Festival. This latest honor
comes following seven previous screenings in festivals nationally and internationally
as well as a third place award in the ASIFA San Francisco Animation Showcase and semi-finalist
status in the upcoming Adobe Design Achievement Awards. “The Pod” took five months
to complete. “We work in a collaborative, no-ego environment,” Jaydeep Hasrajani writes.
“There is no director because we all contribute to every step of the production.”

May 2012

“Couch and Potatoes,” a stop-motion animated film

Animation/Illustration graduate Chris Lam and Senior A/I major Eunsoo Jeong just won
the Technicolor/Palo Alto International Film festival Grand Prize. The festival runs
for four days from September 27 through September 30 and features 50 films from the
United States, Europe and Asia. “Couch and Potatoes” was completed in Spring 2012
and shown in the Animation/Illustration program’s annual Senior Exhibition on campus.
Chris Lam has put his SJSU education to good use and is now working as an animator
at Camouflaj, a game studio in Bellevue, Washington. Eunsoo Jeong, who will graduate
in 2013, is currently in Los Angeles completing her internship at Nickelodeon Studios.